Calculators And Digital Assets Value For SEO With Steven Schneider The Unscripted SEO Interview podcast

Steven Schneider - 10+ years in SEO, scaled affiliate portfolio to 40 sites and 1.4M ARR. Now helps B2B and SaaS CMOs leverage proven SEO strategies. Co-founder of TrioSEO.

Key Topics Discussed

The Calculator SEO Strategy

Steven's latest focus: calculators and digital assets for driving meaningful leads through SEO, moving beyond traditional blog content strategies.

Key Success Factors:

Quality over speed - 2-3 month development process, not 20-minute ChatGPT builds
Keyword validation - Need 1,000+ monthly searches minimum
Client-keyword fit - Can they realistically rank? (Skip EBITDA/credit card calculators)

Real Examples:

M&A valuation calculator (ranking top 3-5)
Legal settlement tax calculators
Cost segregation calculators

Multi-Channel Lead Generation

The Process:

Build valuable calculator
Capture emails with nurture sequence on the backend
Follow up with 3-5 day drip campaigns
Connect to sales team

Key Insight: "We can't rely on Google alone anymore - it's suicide"

The Fractional SEO Approach

Modern SEOs must become fractional partners, not just traffic drivers.

Essential Questions:

What's your sales process?
How many sales people do you have?
What happens after form submission?
What are your success metrics?

Shocking Stat: 80% of local business form submissions get zero response

YMYL & Algorithm Changes

Discussion on Google's Medic Update impact - brand recognition as trust signal. Finance is always rough without specialized writers.

Trust Rank Theory: Distance from authoritative "seed sites" (universities, hospitals, gov sites) affects medical niche rankings.

AI & Search Evolution

Current approach: Monitor client appearances in ChatGPT for high-intent keywords. Quality content, authority and strong SEO still correlates with AI search visibility.

Strategy: Focus on middle/bottom funnel content that AI can't replicate (specific calculators, detailed valuations).

Client Onboarding Best Practices

Steven's Favorite Question: How are you currently tracking success on your website?

Common Problem: Most clients can't define what "success" looks like, leading to misaligned expectations.

Solution: Establish clear metrics upfront - demos, trials, webinars, etc.

Key Takeaways

Calculator SEO requires significant investment but drives high-quality leads
Multi-channel approach essential for sustainable growth
Business understanding more important than tool expertise
Clear success metrics critical for client relationships
Fractional partnership model replacing traditional SEO agencies

Steven Schneider - 10+ years in SEO, scaled affiliate portfolio to 40 sites and 1.4M ARR. Now helps B2B and SaaS CMOs leverage proven SEO strategies. Co-founder of TrioSEO.